Door operating mechanism



March 26, 1940. w FOSTER- v 2,194,650

DOOR OPERATING MECHANI SM Filed June 6, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 J a. x k

March 26,1940. 55 2,194,650

noon OPERATING MECHANISM Filed June 6, 1938 S Sheets-Sheet 5 Roy Wfosfezinterior of the garage or other building equipped Patented Mar. 26 1940l UNITED STATES} ATENT 'OFFECE noon OPERATING MECHANISM Roy W. Foster,Red Bank, Tenn.

Application June 6, 1938, serial No. 212,103

3 Claims. (Cl. 268-63) This invention relates to improvements inmechanisms for openingand closing garage and like doors.

More particularly, the present invention relates to an improvement inthat type of door operating mechanism embodying a reciprocating carriageconnected by links with'the doors to be operated, and operativelyconnected with an endless sprocket chain drivenby an electricaluni-directional motor.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a dooroperating mechanism of the above'typewhich is extremely simple anddurable in construction, efiicient in operation; and not likely toreadily get out of working order.

The present invention also contemplates the provisionof an electric lampfor illuminating the with the doors to be operated, the arrangementbeing such as to automatically turn the light on when the doors areopened and to automatically turn the light off when the doors areclosed. In addition, it is contemplated to place the door operatingmechanism under control of a treadleoperated switch located somedistance from and in front of the doors to be operated and adapted to beeither manually actuated or depressed by a passing automobile forplacing the mechanism into operation, so as to cause closing of thedoors upon departure of the automobile or person or opening of the doorsupon approach of the person or automobile toward the garage.

The present invention consists in the novel form, combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in theaccompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a garage havingdoors equipped with an operating mechanism constructed in j accordancewith the present invention, said mechanism being in 7 side elevation.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the construction shown in FigureLpartlybroken away.

Figure 3 is an enlarged transversesectionon line 33 of Figure 1. V

Figure 4 is a plan view of the treadle-operated switch preferablyemployed for controlling the mechanism of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal vertical section on it line 5-5 of Figure4. v

Figure 6 is an enIarged transverse section on line 6--6 of Figure 5.

Figure! is a view somewhat similar to Figure l sprocket wheel 23. riedby the supporting frame 8 near its inner illustrating a modified form ofthe mechanism. It

Figure 8 is an enlarged transverse verticalsection on line 8-8 of Figure7; and I Figure 9 is a diagram of the wiring employed in completeinstallation of the door operating mechanism of Figures 1 and 7. v p

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 indicates the walls of a garageor other building, 6 indicates a pair of doors for an opening in one ofthe walls 5 hinged as at 1 for horizontal swinging movement. r I

The present door operating mechanism includes an open rectangular frame8 horizontally arranged in an elevated position within the garage orlike building, one end of said frame being rigidly attached at 9 to awall 5 above the doors 6, and the other or inner end of frame 8 beingsuspended from an overhead support ID by means of suitable hangers orbrackets II. The frame 8 includes cross bars I2 that project laterallybe yond one side of the frame '8 and have the ends. of a verticallyarranged horizontally elongated guide frame I3 bolted thereto as at I4.The] guide frame I3 affords upper and lower guide rails I 5 and I6, andmovable in this guide frame upon the rails I5 and I6 is areciprocatingcarriage I]. Rigid with and projecting laterally and downwardly fromopposite sides of the lower'portion of carriage I! are arms I 8, andpivotally connected at one end to each arm 18 is a link IS]; The otherends of links I9 are pivotally connected at 20 to the-respective ones ofthe doors 6 at the top of the latter and near their adjacent free edges.It will be noted that the links I9 extend in forwardly divergingrelation so that when the carriage I7 is moved forwardly, the doors 6will be swung to open position, and when the carriage I1 is movedrearwardly, said doors will be swung to closed position. I

Journaled in bearings 2| transversely of and upon the supporting frame 8is a shaft 22 that projects at one end within the guide frame I3adjacent the forward end of the latter, and upon this projecting end ofshaft 22 is secured a A platform 24 is rigidly carend, and secured uponthis platform is a small uni-directional electric motor 25. At this endof frame 8, the latter carries a bearing 26 in which is journaled atransverse shaft 21 having an end projecting within the inner end"portion of guide frame I3 and carrying a sprocket wheel28. An endlesssprocket chain 29 passes around the sprocket wheels 23 and 28, and thearmature shaft door operating of motor 25 is operatively connected withtransverse shaft 21 by means of a worm gearing indicated at 30. Thecarriage H is provided with an opening 3! into which projects a lug 32carried by and movable with the sprocket chain 29, the arrangement beingsuch that when the sprocket chain 29 is driven in one direction, the lug32 will cause reciprocation of the carriage H.

In the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, the opening 3i isrelatively large and of a form to provide an internal shoulder 33 at theupper inner portion of the carriage and an internal shoulder 34 at thelower forward portion of the carriage. Thus, the carriage has moved toits extreme inward limit of movement'in Figure 1 and upon further travelof chain 29 in the direction of the arrow indicated at a, the lug 32will pass from the shoulder 33 and ultimately engage shoulder 34 so asto cause forward movement of carriage 17. Such forward movement ofcarriage I! will of course cause opening of'doors 6 through the mediumof links 59. When the carriage I! has reached its extreme forward limitof movement, the lug 32 will pass around the sprocket 23 from theshoulder 34 and then into engagement with shoulder 33, thereby returningbreaking the circuit of the motor the carriage ll to its limit ofmovement as shown in Figure 1. This inward movement of carriage I! inthe guide frame l3 will of course cause closing of doors 6 through themedium of the links H. Also, in this embodiment or form of theinvention, the guide rails l5 and I6 are preferably of channel form withtheir flanges facing toward each other, and the carriage I! is providedat the top and bottom with rollers 35 engaged in the guide ways formedby the guide rails l5 and In the embodiment of Figures 7 and 8, however,the carriage is in the form of a plate provided at the top and bottomwith guide sleeves 35a, and the guide frame has its upper and lowerguide rails in the form of rods lfia and !6a slidably embraced by thesleeves 35a. Also, the carriage in this instance has a transverseelongated slot 3 la of uniform width from end to end, and the laterallug 32a of sprocket chain 29 slidably engages in this slot 3 la.Otherwise, the construction of both embodiments of the invention issubstantially'the same, and remaining parts of both embodiments whichare similar are indicated by like reference characters.

Carried by each end of the guide frame 13 in the path of movement ofcarriage IT is a normally closed switch 36 operable for automatically 25when the carriage ll reaches either limit of its movement. While theseswitches may be of any well known or preferred type or construction,they have been shown in Figure 1 as including pivoted contacts 37engageable by the carriage H for being moved to circuit-openingposition. In the embodiment of Fl 7, the switches are merely shown as ofa to ordinary push button switches. ng the present mechanism, a switchor initially closing the circuit of er manually or by passage of anreover. For this purpose, I preeadle switch of the constructionshownfirmgjese to 6 inclusive. This switch includes telescopic channels256 and 39 arranged within a depression or recess 46 provided in thedriveway M leading to the garage equipped with the doors 6, the channelsbeing provided with opposed electrical contacts 32 and 43 normallyseparated by elevation of the upper treadle or driveway M, such as capplates'45 suitably anchored and embedded in the driveway so as tooverlie the ends of channel 39 as shown in Figures 4 and 5. In wiringthe mechanism, a feed wire 46 extending from a suitable source ofcurrent is connected to one contact 41 of switch 36 at the inner end ofguide frame l3, as shown in Figure 9. Another fixed contact 38 of thisswitch 36 is connected by wire :39 to a corresponding contact 4801 oftheswitch 36 at the other or forward end of guide frame l3. The remainingfixed contact 11a of the switch 36 at the forward end of guide frame I3is connected by wire 50 with the feed terminal iii of motor 25, thereturn wire 52 being connected to the remaining terminal of motor 25. Itwill be understood that the contacts 4'! and d8 of the rear or innerswitch 36 are normally bridged by the movable contact 3'! of the latter,and likewise with respect to the contacts Ma and 56a of the switch 36 atthe outer or forward end of the frame i3. Also, the contacts 12 carriedby the lower channel 8 of the treadle switch shown in Figures 4 to Einclusive are connected by wire 53 with the feed side of motor 25between the latter and the forward switch 36, and contacts 43 of theupper channel or treadle 39 are connected by wire with the feed wire '36ahead of the rear switch 36. Thus, when the treadle or upper channel. 36is depressed so as to cause engagement of contacts 43 with contacts t2,current will be supplied to motor 25 by way of wires 54, 53 and 56.Assuming that the carriage I! is at its inner limit of movement as shownin Figures 1 and 9, the rear switch 36 will be open until said carriagemoves forwardly a sufficient distance to allow contact 31 to bridgecontacts 47 and 66. When this occurs, the motor 25 continues to operateeven though the treadle or channel 39 is released to disengage contactsi3 from contacts 42, the circuit being traced from feed wire .6 to wire46, wire 56, motor 25 and return wire 52. Thus, the carriage willcontinue moving forwardly until the doors are opened and the carriage 17moves contact 3'! of the forward switch 36 to break the motor circuit.The doors will then thus remain in open position until the treadle 36 isdepressed again to start the motor 25. As soon as the carriage permitsthe movable contact 3'! of the forward switch 36 to bridge the contacts4'! and 680,, the motor circuit will be completed even though thetreadle 39 is released, and the carriage ll will continue rearwardmovement until the doors are closed and the carriage ll moves contact 3?of the rear switch 36 to circuit-opening position. When the latteroccurs, the motor is again thrown out of operation and the doors remainclosed. It has been previously explained how the lug 32 operativelyengages the carriage i! for reciprocating the same in this manner whenthe sprocket chain 29. is driven by the motor 2:"; through the gearingtil. As the worm gearing 36 is of a self-locking type, the doors may notbe'forced open or closed by application of power thereto.

Carried by the motor platform 24 is a lamp socket 55 carrying a lamp 56and having one terminal connected to the wire 69, the other terminal ofsocket 56 being connected to the return wire 52 as shown clearly inFigure 9. It will thus be seen that when the carriage ll is movedforwardly to open the doors, the lamp 56 will be lighted and will remainlighted as long as the doors are open. On the contrary, when thecarriage l'l moves inwardly to close the doors, the circuit of lamp 5twill be opened and the lamp will be turned out as soon as thecontact 31of the rear switch at is moved to circuit-opening -pos1- tion bycarriage ll. Thus, the lamp 56 will remain unlighted when the doors areclosed and the treadle 39 is released.

From the above description, it will be seen that the motor circuit iscontrolled by a switch operated manually or by the automobile, thecarriage being automatically moved by the motor to open or close thedoors, and the motor circuit is automatically broken whenever the doorsare in full I closed or openposition,

What I claim as new is: l. A device for opening and closing a door,

comprising in combination with a hinged door,

a horizontal open rectangular supporting frame, a vertical openrectangular guide frame fixed to said supporting frame along one side ofthe lat-' ter and including upper and lower guide rails, a

carriage reciprocable alongsaid guide frame and verse shafts, an endlesssprocket chain on said sprocket wheels, means operatively connecting oneof said transverse shafts with said motor, said carriage having anopening therethrough, a lug attached to said sprocket chain andprojecting laterallyinto the opening of the carriage for reciprocatingthe latter when the sprocket chain is I driven in one direction, alateral arm rigid with and depending from the bottom of said carriage,

a link pivotally connected'at one end to said arm and at its other endto the hinged door, and means for automatically breaking the motorcircuit when the carriage approaches either end of the guide frame. v 2.A device for opening and closinga door,

comprising in combination with a hinged door, an open rectangularsupporting frame mounted in a horizontal position and including crossbars projecting laterally beyond one side 'of said supporting frame, avertical open rectangular guide frame arranged along one side of saidsupporting frame andrigidly mounted upon the projecting portions of saidcross bars, transverse shafts journaled upon said supporting frame andproa link pivotally connected at one end to said arm, and at its otherend to the hinged door, means for automatically breaking the circuit ofsaid motor when the carriage approaches its limit of movement in eitherdirection, said guide frame including upper and lower guide bars, andsaid carriage comprising a plate provided with a V91: tical elongatedslot and having top and bottom guide sleeves slidably embracing-saidguide rods, the operative connection between the sprocket chain and saidcarriage including a lateral lug attached to said sprocket chain andprojecting into said elongated opening of the carriage 3. A device foropening and closing a door,

comprising in combination with a hinged door, an

open rectangular supporting frame mounted in a, horizontal position andincluding cross bars projecting laterally beyond one side of said supporting frame, a vertical open-rectangular guide frame arranged alongone side of said supporting frame and rigidly mounted upon theprojecting portions of said cross bars, transverse shafts.

journaled upon said supporting frame and pro jecting into the guideframe, sprocketwheelson said transverse shafts, an endless sprocketchain on said sprocket wheels, a non-reversible motor mounted upon saidsupporting frame and operatively connected to one of said transverseshafts, a vertical carriage movable along said guide frame andoperatively connected with the sprocket chain to'travel therewith, alateral arm depending from the lower portion of said carriage,

a link pivotally connected at one end to said arm and at its other endto the hinged door, means for automatically breaking the circuit of saidmotor when the carriage approaches its limit of movement in eitherdirection, said guide frame including upper and lower guide channels,wheels on said carriage running in said guide channels,

said carriage having an opening therethrough providingshouldersinternally of the carriage at the rear upper and forward lower portionsthereof, and a lateral lug carried. by the sprocket chain alternatelyengageable with said shoulders for causing movement of the carriage inopposite directions.

ROY W. FOSTER.

